Implementing Sustainable Tourism in the USAID Context

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Implementing Sustainable Tourism in the USAID
Context
Arusha, Tanzania
February 2006
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MODULE 6NEXUS LINKAGES BETWEEN ECONOMIC
ENVIRONMENTAL INTERVENTIONS
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Objectives

• By the end of the session participants will be
  able to
• Understand and apply environmental best practices
  to sustainable tourism businesses
• Understand and apply sound business practices to
  ecotourism operations

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Revisiting the definitions of sustainable tourism
and ecotourism

• Sustainable tourism development meets the need of
  present tourists and host regions while
  protecting and enhancing opportunities for the
  future. It is envisaged as leading to management
  of all resources in such a way that economic,
  social, and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled
  while maintaining cultural integrity, essential
  ecological processes and services, and biological
  diversity.
• Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas
  that conserves the environment and improves the
  well being of local people.

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Environmentally Sustainable Tourism

• Conservation and efficient use of natural
  resources
• Management of wastes and chemical products
• Environmental education and best practice
  training
• Reduce impact of tourism operations on ecosystems
• Extend programs to nearby communities, suppliers,
  vendors, and contractors

 
 
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Program for Environmental Performance Improvement

• Environmental management assessment
• Environmental Management System (EMS)
• Environmental management best practices
• Environmental certification

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Environmental Management Assessments

• Environmental Walkthrough Assessment
• Best Practice Assessment
• Detailed Environmental Management Assessment

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Environmental Management Systems
Source Environmental Management Systems for
Caribbean Hotels and Resorts A Case Study of
Five Properties in Jamaica, PA Consulting Group,
2001.
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Elements of an Environmental Management System

• Environmental policy statement
• Objectives, targets and action plan
• Organizational structure
• Standard operating procedures
• Environmental purchasing
• Emergency preparedness
• Monitoring and reporting

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Environmental management best practices

• Energy
• Water
• Waste

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Impact of Best Practices on Energy Water
Consumption

• The most efficient hotel consumed 1/12th as much
  electricity and water per guest-night than the
  least efficient hotel.
• Hotel star rating and type of guest amenities
  affect consumption.
• Efficient design, equipment and operations, and
  effective maintenance and staff participation
  have by far the greatest impact on performance.

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Ecolabels and Sustainable Tourism Certification

• A sample of labels in Europe alone

Source The VISIT Initiative
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Lessons Learned in Introducing Environmentally
Sustainable Tourism Businesses

• Site and design to minimize impacts
• Environmental management assessments to identify
  areas of improvement and cost savings
• Environmental Managements Systems to establish a
  process for continuous improvement
• Sustainable tourism certification to recognize
  accomplishments
• Procurement that greens the supply chain
• Actively engage in community and biodiversity
  conservation to ensure long term viability

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The Need for Sustainable Tourism Approaches at
the Destination Level
Butler's well-known Hypothetical Evolution of a
Tourist Area diagram (Butler, R.W. 1980, "The
Concept of a Tourism Area Life Cycle of
Evolution Implications for Management of
Resources." The Canadian Geographer 24(1), p. 8.
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Destination Planning and Management

• Multi-stakeholder governance
• Positioning in the marketplace
• Organizational development
• Upgrade planning and monitoring capabilities of
  local communities
• Linkages of tourism circuits

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Market Positioning as an Eco-Destination The
Costa Rica Example
Stages of Tourism Development in Costa Rica
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• Destination Design Exercise 6-1
• 3 Groups to illustrate a sustainable tourism
  destination.
• Read about your destination and then
•  
• Draw the natural and cultural attractions
  (coastline, mountains, villages, wetlands,
  species, forest, ruins, etc.)
• Draw the critical infrastructure (roads, ports,
  airports, water supply, energy, hotels (?), etc.)
• Identify their target market segments (domestic
  or international, adventure, history, nature,
  birdwatcher, family, retiree, etc.)
• Identify vulnerabilities (places where tourism
  may impact community or nature, potential threats
  to tourism, etc.)

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Ensuring the Economic Viability of Ecotourism
Enterprises

• Understanding business considerations
• Role of conservation managers in the business of
  ecotourism
• Creating a business partnership with tour
  operators
• Preparing a feasibility analysis
• Preparing a business plan
• Financing for ecotourism business
• Source Ecotourism Development A Manual for
  Conservation Planners and Managers, The Nature
  Conservancy, 2005.

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Overview of Business Considerations

• Protected area management and business planning
• Financial and environmental quality
• Business planning
• Roles of NGOs in ecotourism business development
• Risk factor in ecotourism business development

Source Ecotourism Development A Manual for
Conservation Planners and Managers, The Nature
Conservancy, 2005.
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Ecotourism Enterprise Structures

• Selecting an ecotourism enterprise structure
• Assessing potential partners
• Defining partnership expectations
• Source Ecotourism Development A Manual for
  Conservation Planners and Managers, The Nature
  Conservancy, 2005.

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Creating a Business Partnership with Tour
Operators

• The tour operators perspective
• Marketing advantages of responsible tourism
• Community expectations
• Partner relationship
• Source Ecotourism Development A Manual for
  Conservation Planners and Managers, The Nature
  Conservancy, 2005.

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Preparing a Feasibility Analysis (10 steps)

• Preliminary questions
• Information gathering
• Definition of goals
• Resource inventory
• Market analysis
• Competitive analysis
• Business description and operation
• Sales forecast
• Financial analysis
• Viability assessment
• Source Ecotourism Development A Manual for
  Conservation Planners and Managers, The Nature
  Conservancy, 2005.

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Basic Rules for Creating a Viable Ecotourism
Business

• Business ideas must be market-driven
• A business must make a profit
• All costs must be taken into account
• Judgement is required where information is
  lacking

Source Ecotourism Development A Manual for
Conservation Planners and Managers, The Nature
Conservancy, 2005.
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Preparing a Business Plan

• Address the target audience (funding providers)
• Work with business owners
• Consider social and environmental factors
• Avoid common business plan mistakes

Source Ecotourism Development A Manual for
Conservation Planners and Managers, The Nature
Conservancy, 2005.
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Financing an Ecotourism Business

• Types of financing
• Equity
• Debt
• Sources of financing
• Self-financing
• Commercial banks
• Grants and donor agencies
• Micro-finance institutions
• Biodiversity enterprise funds
• Non-financial support

Source Ecotourism Development A Manual for
Conservation Planners and Managers, The Nature
Conservancy, 2005.
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• Ecotourism Enterprises Exercise 6-2
• Same groups as earlier exercise to illustrate 2
  or more ecotourism enterprises based on a
  handout.
• Also, answer
•  
• What are the enterprises? Who is/are the
  owner(s)?
• How are they linked to the target market?
• Who is the target market?
• What are the environmental best practices?
• What are the business best practices?
• What are the values of the destination we are
  representing?

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Extreme Events and Tourism

• Natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes, floods,
  earthquakes, landslides)
• Epidemics (e.g., SARS, AIDS, malaria)
• Instability in fragile states (e.g., war,
  terrorism, political oppression)

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Project Example Jamaica EAST

• SO Improved quality of key natural resources in
  selected areas that are both environmentally and
  economically significant
• Program Environmental Audits for Sustainable
  Tourism (EAST)
• Intervention Areas Expansion of sound
  environmental management practices in tourism,
  Environmental management services capacity
  building
• Tools/Mechanisms Used Environmental audits,
  Training in EMS, Environmental certification,
  destination management, financing, hurricane
  recovery
• Partners/Collaborators Jamaica Hotel and Tourist
  Association, Ministry of Tourism and Industry
  Tourism, National Environment Planning Agency

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Project Example Ghana CBEP

• SO Economic Growth
• ProgramCommunity-Based Ecotourism Program (CBET)
• Intervention Area
• Development of ecotourism destinations,
  improvement of resource protection and community
  awareness
• Tools/Mechanisms UsedConstruction of
  interpretive centers, ranger stations, huts and
  trails performance of Biological Assessment
  promotion of attractions exchange program
  training
• Partners/Collaborators
• Ghana Tourist Board, Government of Ghana,
  Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, Nature
  Conservation Research Center

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Categories of Sustainable Tourism Performance
Indicators

• Sustainable Tourism Businesses
• Community Well-being
• Visitor Well-being

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Sample ST Performance Indicators

• 1) Sustainable tourism businesses
• of sustainable tourism businesses
• of businesses certified for eco-friendliness
• of all tourism businesses certified
• and of staff trained in eco-standards
• of visitors to eco-destinations
• Amount of financial support to NGOs
• of private-public partnerships with local
  community

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Sample ST Performance Indicators

• 2) Community well-being
• of tourism staff with first-aid training
• of local tourism workers receiving health care
• of tourism operators who provide transport for
  women returning from night shifts
• Women/men as a of all tourism employment
• Average income for women/men working in tourism
• of harassment incidents reported
• Amount of tourisms contribution to training and
  education
• Amount of tourisms contribution to ICT
  infrastructure

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Sample ST Performance Indicators

• 3) Visitor well-being
• of visits by tourist to local doctors
• of reports of food poisoning
• of incidents of crime/violence per month, per
  year, per type
• of tourists harmed per month, per year
• of crime incidents reported to the
  international press
• Level of expenditure on security (regional,
  national, enterprise)
• of police per tourist

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• Nexus Intervention Exercise 6-3
• Small groups choose and develop an ecotourism
  development activity from one of your countries
• What are the issues?
• What interventions could be used?
• What performance indicators could be
• measured?

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RECAP

• Environmentally sustainable tourism presents a
  win-win approach to enterprises and destinations
• Ecotourism enterprises must operate like a
  business, but with special considerations
• Extreme events can have a devastating impact on
  tourism